Ahaan was about to decline, but Amyra quickly held his hand and dragged him to the stage. Ahaan looked at her and just smiled as melodious and soft music filled the air, and Ahaan and Amyra started dancing.

"Bhaiya is like a lovesick puppy for Bhabhi," Nitya said with a smirk, drinking her glass of wine.

"Yeah, at least there is someone in the world who can handle our angry Bhaiya," Vihaan said while munching on the snacks.

"Oh my God. You two-you both really can't control yourselves. It's Ahaan Bhaiya's Sangeet today, and see, you two are eating like pigs." Reyansh scolded them, but before he could rant more, Nitya quickly put a sweet in his mouth and said, "Come on, Rey Bhai, Bhaiya and Bhabhi are dancing. Why don't you also fill up your stomach a little bit? After all, food is life."

"Exactly," Vihaan said as he and Nitya gave a high-five to each other. Vihaan saw Samaira standing, so he called her, "Samaira, come!!"

Samaira heard Vihaan calling her; she looked towards him and saw the Oberoi siblings standing and eating. She went towards them and said, looking at Reyansh, whose mouth was full as Nitya had forcefully put sweets in his mouth, "Wow, you guys must be hungry?!"

Vihaan and Nitya laughed as Reyansh grew red. Soon, Ruhi joined them and looked at Reyansh and said mockingly, remembering how he teased her, "Wow, you are really something. We have to be near the stage, and you are busy stuffing your mouth."

Reyansh tried to say something, but when Ruhi glared at him, he quickly shut his mouth, following her to the stage while glaring at his siblings.

Within a few minutes, Amyra and Ahaan stopped dancing and stepped down from the stage, and the song changed from soft and melodious to background music.

Everyone became silent as Vihaan got up and went on the stage; the whole garden turned dark as the spotlight fell on Vihaan, and his teary eyes met Samaira's, who looked at him with the same intensity.

His fingers moved over the strings of his guitar with a familiarity and tenderness as he started singing.

Vihaan stopped playing, and for a moment, everything was silent again.

Everyone clapped for the beautiful performance; Vihaan quickly got down from the stage.

Reyansh, watching the scene unfold, felt discomfort. This was the second time he had seen his younger brother so vulnerable after years.

The confident, always-in-control Vihaan was gone, replaced by a man who was willing to lay his heart bare for the girl he loved. Despite being hurt, he could never stop loving her.

"Wow..." Agastya muttered to himself, his voice thick with emotion. "He really does love her."

Ruhi, standing beside him, nodded, her own eyes moist. "Sometimes it takes us longer than we'd like to admit. I hope they confess as soon as possible."

Finally, Samaira went towards the DJ and played a strong, upbeat, and energized song, making everyone come over to the performance; they all joined the dance floor.

Samaira and Nitya made sure no one was left behind as everyone joined the dance floor, dancing and singing. Ahaan and Amyra also stepped up and joined the floor.

Samaira and Vihaan stood at a distance, but still, their eyes were always on each other.

The night turned electric and energetic as everyone enjoyed dancing their lives out.

After an hour and a half passed, everyone gradually grew tired. Having no energy to dance anymore, everyone settled down, talking and laughing.

After a few hours,

Amyra, Ahaan, Ruhi, Reyansh, Samaira, Vihaan, Nitya, Jeevika, and Agastya started walking to their rooms upstairs. They all laughed and talked.

"Honestly speaking, today's function was more fun and easygoing," Reyansh exclaimed.

"Yeah, with no unnecessary guests and media, it was more fun, and we didn't have to be maintained all day. I mean, of course, there are relatives and family members, but at least no unnecessary nuisance," Nitya said with sass.

They all saw a maid standing near Samaira's room door, who gave her an envelope and said, "Ma'am, a guard left it in the kitchen for you. He told a man came and gave it to the security man who was standing at the main gate."

Samaira took the letter from the maid and gave her a smile. The maid bowed and left.

The moment Samaira opened and read the letter, her stomach dropped. There was just the picture of a black rose with blood smeared on it.

"Is everything okay, Samaira?" Ruhi asked, noticing the change in her expression.

Samaira hesitated, her fingers trembling slightly as she glanced at the letter. She knew she needed to tell them about the morning incident. The only reason she didn't reveal it to everyone in the morning was because she didn't want to spoil everyone's mood.

Samaira finally looked at everyone and said, "I want to show you guys something."

Everyone looked at her curiously. Samaira opened the door of her room and signaled everyone to enter. She opened the door of the walk-in closet, and a gasp left everyone's mouth seeing the message in blood written on the wall.

"Hey, sweetheart, I'm watching you!! You look damn sexy in that black saree."

"How?? How can someone come in your room and write this? This is truly sickening," Nitya said in a serious voice.

"This person is not normal; he is obsessed with Samaira, and I don't think he is going to stop that easily. He doesn't fear the Oberoi name; no one in their right mind or even a normal person would try to take this much risk of entering such a high-security area to write the message. This person is a psychopath," Reyansh said in a concerned and serious voice.

Ruhi looked at the message as she touched the blood, smelling it. "The blood is not very fresh; the person must have been dead for at least 48 hours, and I think someone from the inside is helping the stalker."

Amyra looked at Ruhi understandingly and said, "You mean-"

"It means someone inside the palace is a betrayer, and as long as he or she is here, these messages and threats are not going to stop," Samaira said, disgusted.

"Samaira, you don't think there is a camera in the room, right?! Or is there?" Jeevika asked curiously.

Hearing this, everyone got alert. Ahaan quickly called Kartik and asked him to bring the equipment to check for hidden cameras and microphones.

Agastya noticed that Samaira was not looking as worried as someone would if they got to know someone was watching them the whole time. He thought she looked too carefree, or was it because she knew how to mask her expressions well?

He remembered the discussion he had with Ahaan and Reyansh after Samaira's accident. They didn't include Vihaan as he was too worried and let him spend more time with Samaira.

He remembered that Ahaan said this to him and Reyansh: "Samaira is not someone to mess with. I have noticed this: she has that mysterious aura; she is too good at masking her expressions. I know she loves Amyra and Ruhi a lot and cares for them passionately, but let's not forget that she is also a business tycoon. Handling a few people would not be very hard for her. Do you think she knows who is behind the accident? I mean not the stalker. I am sure there is someone else behind that accident."

"Actually, it's not only Samaira, but Ruhi and Amyra Bhabhi as well. They all have that fire in their eyes, which is good, but still-" Agastya said with a neutral expression on his face.

Reyansh looked at his gun and said, "Do you think Samaira really rejected Vihaan 14 years ago?"

Ahaan and Agastya looked at him confused and asked, "From where did this incident suddenly come to your mind?"

"Nowhere. It's just I have noticed them. They are too close, and the way Samaira talks and stays with the whole family, the words in that confession letter sound so different from the Samaira we got to know and meet," Reyansh said seriously. "I mean, in the letter she rejected him so harshly, calling him names and, well, those words. Ahaan Bhaiya, you were almost going to kill her that day for making Vihaan cry. In the fear that you will really kill her, Vihaan never told her name to you. The words in that letter were so disgusting and humiliating. I still don't know how Vihaan is still in love with that girl."

"Actually, I do think the same. I mean, no wonder Samaira is good and really different from what we assumed, and everyone has welcomed her with open arms," Agastya said, conflicted.

Ahaan said in a serious voice, "I don't know whether the letter was by Samaira or not, but I know that the Samaira I know, and from what Amyra has told me, we can fully trust her. And as long as Vihaan is happy, I don't want to see him sad like 14 years ago. It was very hard for him to overcome that letter. If he is happy, then let's let him be. If needed, we will support him. Anyways, Ruhi and Samaira are just like Nitya for me. They both are like my sisters, and no matter what, I trust them both."

Everyone nodded.

Suddenly, Agastya came back to his senses when Nitya shook him.

"What happened? Where are you lost? Everyone went to their rooms already," Nitya said, confused.

"Nothing. Was there any camera or microphone in the room?" Agastya asked, walking out of the room with Nitya.

"No, we found nothing. Jeevika is going to stay in Samaira's room. It's good for both of them, as Jeevika is still new here, and she will feel more comfortable if she is with Samaira. Also, it's better for someone to stay with Samaira until we find out who the betrayer is inside our team," Nitya said seriously.

Agastya nodded. He looked at Nitya and decided to ask her about her boyfriend when suddenly she got a call. She looked at her phone and quickly hid it when she saw Agastya looking at the phone. She said good night to him and quickly left to her room, closing the door on his face as Agastya curled up his fists in jealousy.

He stood there looking at the door of Nitya's room as if she was going to miraculously open the door and come and talk to him, but after standing for a while, he realized and laughed nervously at himself for his foolishness. He looked here and there to make sure no one saw his stupid antics.

Meanwhile

Somewhere else

In a small room, a shadowed figure was lying on the bed, holding a photo of Samaira. An evil and seductive smile was decorating his face.

"She's so perfect," he muttered to himself in a creepy voice. "I'll make her mine, no matter what it takes. She will be mine. If she can't be mine, no one can have her either."

Beside him, a woman stood with cold, hard eyes, her face clearly showing her disgust and disdain for the woman in the picture. "She's not the only one you should be worried about," she hissed to the man.

"You're getting too close to her. You can't let her, or any of them, interfere with our plans. Especially that Vihaan; he is too cruel for our own cause. He is not what he shows everyone; you do not want to face him," the woman said with a cold voice. A tremor could be heard in her tone.

The man's eyes darkened as he stared at her. "I don't care about them. I want Samaira. And nothing—no one—will stop me from getting what's mine. Not even that Vihaan, or her so-called best friends Ruhi and Amyra."

The woman scoffed. "I hate her and those two and all of them. I am leaving. I have some work to handle."

The man didn’t say anything and shifted his attention back to the photo. Nearby, a portrait of the same woman was kept, but unlike normal paintings made with paint, it was painted using blood—which was both disgusting and haunting, but fascinating.

Three Weeks Later

The Oberoi Palace garden was decorated with flowers and lights, as it was the day of Amyra's Mehndi.

The women were sitting and getting mehndi applied to their hands, while the men talked and chatted.

The smell of henna and flowers filled the air as music played in the background. As mehndi artists applied mehndi to the ladies of Oberoi House—Samaira, Ruhi, and Jeevika—the men took up the task of making sure their loved ones were not left hungry.

Samaira sat gracefully in a green lehenga, her right hand resting on a velvet cushion as the henna artist traced delicate patterns onto her skin.

Her cast had been removed the day after the Sangeet, and it was Amyra's idea to have a mehndi ceremony two weeks later so that Samaira could also apply mehndi, as she knew how much Samaira loved it.

"You look so stunning, Sam," Amyra said as she got up, moving around as she felt her body was stiff from sitting too long.

Her green outfit shimmered under the sun, perfectly matching Ahaan's embroidered kurta.

Samaira smiled. "You're one to talk. You're glowing brighter than this entire setup, Ms. Bride-to-be! And you know mehndi is my favorite part of the function."

Amyra blushed as she sat next to Ruhi. "You know what the best part is? It's not even the mehndi or the wedding. It's this—being surrounded by the people I love."

Just then, Ahaan appeared with Vihaan, Reyansh, and Agastya, all of them carrying food and refreshments.

"Why are you guys here?" Nitya asked, raising a brow. "This is a girls-only event."

Reyansh smirked. "We're here for emotional support. And snacks, little sister."

Agastya's gaze locked with Nitya, who quickly looked away, focusing on her mehndi.

Vihaan was looking at Samaira with adoring eyes. When Samaira noticed, her cheeks turned red.

"Do I have henna on my face or something?" she asked, not looking at him.

"No. Just that usual sass," Vihaan grinned. "It suits you."

Samaira chuckled, Reyansh looking between them with an amused expression. "Are you two going to flirt all day?"

Samaira and Vihaan looked away, still smiling.

The celebration continued with dhol beats filling the air as professional dancers started performing. Amyra was pulled to the center by dancers as they made her sit in the middle like a queen, dancing around her, making her smile and laugh. The crowd cheered when Ahaan kneeled beside her with a mehndi cone in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Amyra asked, amused.

"Making sure I find my name easily later," he whispered, stealing a kiss on her hand as he wrote Ahaan’s Sunshine on her hand. Then, with the same cone, he wrote Ahaan Amyra Singhania on his hands.

Everyone hooted.

"Amyra Ahaan Singhania. Why my name first?" Amyra asked curiously, like everyone.

"Because you are the reason I am this happy. You make me alive. I was just living until you came into my life and lit up my dark world with your smile and love," Ahaan said, wiping the tears that dropped from Amyra’s eyes.

Vihaan sat quietly beside Samaira, their shoulders brushing occasionally as they looked around.

"I like seeing you this way," Vihaan said softly.

"Henna-covered?" Samaira teased.

"No. Peaceful. Surrounded by people who care. I know you're still pretending a little, but you're lighter than before."

Samaira looked at him, her voice low. "Maybe it's because you're around."

Vihaan’s eyes searched hers. There were words threatening to break out—but not yet. Not today.

Hours passed with songs, dances, and laughter. Slowly, all the guests and performers dispersed as Nalini, Vandana, and Aradhya went to their rooms to get some rest.

The girls—Amyra, Ruhi, Samaira, Jeevika, and Nitya—decided to relax for some time in the open hangout area, watching stars and chatting. Their mehndi was all dried now. After much trouble, only Nitya and Samaira were able to keep Ahaan away from Amyra because he was adamant about staying near her.

Nitya said she couldn't believe that her brother was really a mafia king because sometimes he behaved like a little baby, not being able to stay away from Amyra even for a second, making everyone laugh.

"This is the part I love most," Amyra said. "Finally, able to relax after a long day of chaos."

"I agree," Nitya said, stretching her body as she lay down. "No cameras, no aunties asking personal questions, no noisy kids, and no criminal cases."

Soon they all heard a call ring. Ruhi got up and said, "It’s Mumma, guys."

She went a little farther away to talk.

Nitya and Jeevika sat chatting. Nitya asked curiously, "Jeevika, why are you so quiet, girl? Are you comfortable here or not?"

"Oh no, no, I am very comfortable. I don't really talk much," Jeevika said softly.

Samaira said, smiling, "She is the quietest of all. I don't know how she doesn't get bored. That's why we all love to trouble her; she doesn't scold, unlike Ruhi, who roasts us like barbeque."

After a few minutes, Ruhi returned with an unreadable expression.

Samaira raised a brow. "What’s with that face?"

Ruhi plopped down next to her and said, "So... apparently my parents have arranged a blind date for me."

The other four exploded.

"WHAT?!" Amyra shrieked, nearly spilling her juice.

"Wait—like an actual 'meet the boy and talk about marriage' blind date?" Nitya asked, wide-eyed.

Ruhi nodded, deadpan. "They think I'm not doing anything serious with my life, so they found some 'perfect match' guy and scheduled a lunch with him. This weekend. They said I should also think about finding a partner now. They said, since I can't find one myself, they will arrange one for me."

Samaira snorted. "Don't Uncle and Aunty know you? You’d kill someone on a first date if they called you cute."

"I know!" Ruhi cried. "This is like one of those soap opera moments where the heroine meets the guy and throws water on his face!"

"I dare you to actually do that," Nitya said, laughing uncontrollably.

"This is actually a bad idea. Ruhi and a date is a big no-no. What if the guy ends up in the hospital?" Jeevika said jokingly, making everyone laugh.

Meanwhile, Reyansh, who had come out to swim, froze mid-step hearing the word blind date. His breath caught in his throat, and he blinked, trying to make sense of the words.